New study: London’s retail staff support calls for extended Sunday trading hours
New research has found that 64% of retail workers on London�s Bond Street, Regent Street, Oxford Street and Knightsbridge support proposals which could see larger stores open for an extra two hours on Sundays.
A survey of 850 floor staff, managers and backroom support teams across the West End, Stratford, Croydon, West Croydon, Kensington and beyond, also found that 69% of retail staff in London’s shopping hubs believe that the changes would benefit them financially, while 66% would appreciate an extension to Sunday trading as it would allow them the opportunity to work extra hours.
The independently conducted poll commissioned by New West End Company, the business voice of over 600 retailers across London’s West End, also found that 73% of retail employees in some of London’s top retail areas believe that more flexible trading hours on Sundays will create more jobs. In addition, some 75% think shops in London need more flexibility around Sunday trading to help them compete with online retailers while 74% believe that retail outlets should be open when customers are likely to use them.
New West End Company said many of those surveyed said they already work on Sundays; 72% of those said they appreciated the opportunity to earn extra pay, while 62% said working on Sundays allowed them to be more flexible about the hours they worked.
Those taking part were asked how they would describe themselves in terms of religion, in order to gauge whether this had an influence on their support for the measures. New West End Company said the findings suggested religion is not a clear influence on how those in the retail industry perceive the proposals with 68% of Christian respondents saying that the measures would be a positive change.
Jace Tyrrell, chief executive of New West End Company, said: “It is clear from these findings that there is a strong support among those who work in London’s retail industry for changes to the way Sunday trading is regulated.
“These people form the lifeblood of our offering as a global retail destination, and the findings show that many of those who spend their time making visitors and Londoners alike feel welcome across the shops and stores that line the streets of the West End and Knightsbridge believe they would benefit from the changes.
“This move is one that retailers across the West End and Knightsbridge have long identified as a vital to ensuring London remains at the forefront of global competitiveness, while our research shows that just two extra hours in the West End and Knightsbridge would generate an additional £260 million income annually and create over 2,000 new FTE retail jobs.”
